Reminders
by Unicorns and Schist
Summary: Drew. Leo. Reyna. Nothing in common, right? Wrong. They need reminders. After all, they're not perfect. No matter how hard they try. Oh, and I should've said this before - minor character deaths. More than one, so prepare yourself.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a new story of mine, so please read, review and all that good stuff authors like. Go on ahead, flames. In the words of our favourite character, _YOU CAN'T BURN ME! _:)**

**Disclaimer: If I owned the series, do you really think I would be sitting in bed, reading? Also, I find it an insult to be mistaken as an old (but sassy) man with grey hair. So no, I don't own the series.**

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><p>They did a perfect job of hiding it. Unless you knew at least one of them like the back of your hand, you would never have noticed it. Piper knew Leo. She even knew Drew a bit. She noticed.<p>

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><p>They were very subtle. A raise of an eyebrow, or the wave of a hand, and hey presto! The other person would immediately go back to themselves.<p>

Piper tried to connect the dots. Add 2 and 2. She failed. She just could _not _come up with a theory.

Bed buddies? No, Drew wouldn't sink that low. Besides, Piper would hear her sneak out.

Secret lovers? Hahahahahahaha - no.

Enemies? Why would they help each other if they were enemies?

All she knew is that they were allies. But what did they ally for? Why? How? So many questions and not enough answers.

Piper had always prided herself in knowing and understanding people. She had trained herself to read people well. After all, they were the skills that every charmspeaker needed. Now? She was lost. Hopelessly lost. This was one mystery she couldn't crack.

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><p>The first time Drew and Leo had reminded each other was when Drew had slipped up first.<p>

Drew was being mean. Well, meaner than usual, anyway. Everyone had noticed. She had gotten irritated at Mitchell when he had gotten her the wrong foundation. But, she really blew up when she didn't get her lipgloss.

_They were eating dinner at their cabin table in Camp Half-blood. Drew had asked Mitchell to bring her lipgloss to dinner, so she could touch it up._

_"Mitchell?"_

_"Yes, Drew?"_

_"Lipgloss, hon."_

_Mitchell visibly paled._

_"Um... er..."_

_"Please don't tell me that you forgot, hon."_

_"Um..."_

_Piper tensed. She knew something loud was about to go down._

_"Oh my gods Mitchell! You actually forgot it?! If you can't do anything right, then just stay away!"_

_Drew might not have been a very nice person, but she always made sure that she toned it down a bit. Especially in front of the little kids._

_As soon as Drew stormed - sauntered - off, Piper went to comfort Mitchell and her little siblings._

_Leo had just happened to walk to the Aphrodite table. For what, Piper didn't know yet._

_Just as Leo's and Drew's hands brushed each other, Piper spotted Leo quickly tap Drew on the arm with his fingertip. Drew sauntered a few more steps before stopping, sighing, and turning around. She rolled her eyes, and stomped back to the table._

_When she reached Mitchell, he visibly flinched. Drew muttered a quiet and reluctant apology, before sitting back down at the table._

_Everyone had watched this exchange with wide eyes and open mouths. Drew? Apologising? Not a chance._

_"Oh, what are you looking at?! I only came back because I was hungry!"_

_It seemed Drew had gotten sick of everyone watching._

_That must be a first, Piper mused._

_When Leo finally reached the table, Piper raised an eyebrow._

_"What? I just wanted to steal some of your food."_

_"Here. You can have my mashed potatoes and gravy." She knew it was his favourite._

_Piper had looked back at Leo after a few minutes. He was laughing and joking with his siblings, but her food had been left untouched._

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><p>The surprising thing was that it was Drew who needed reminding the most. But Leo had slipped up a few times too.<p>

_Harley was nagging Leo._

_"Please please pleeeeaase help me make a winged giraffe! Pleeeaaase?"_

_"Sorry buddy, I've got my own projects to do."_

_Actually, Leo had more than just his ten projects._

_His siblings had found out the usefulness of his fire powers. So, he had an added fifty projects to help with. He was a busy guy. And it was really getting to him._

_Sometimes he wondered if the last fire user had been driven mad by his siblings._

_"Please please please pl-"_

_"I said NO!"_

_Perhaps it was because Leo adored his younger siblings. Or maybe because he had never yelled at them before._

_Either way, Leo had never really done anything like this before, and that's what really puzzled Piper._

_Harley just looked at Leo with sad eyes, before letting a quiet apology escape his otherwise loud mouth._

_Piper saw Leo few hours later at lunch again, after the incident. Leo was being himself, except ten times more. In other words, he had been annoyingly hyperactive and happy, and told everyone around him bad jokes._

_He was in the middle of telling his siblings a horrible joke, when Drew had walked past, and quickly tapped the end of her heel to Leo's leg. Leo's grin dimmed, but he finished the joke, before grinning and letting everyone laugh._

_He then hesitated for a few moments, before walking to Harley. The eight year old looked scared, but he relaxed when Leo apologised for yelling at him. He even promised to help the little kid with his giraffe and wings. Piper thought that was extremely sweet of him._

_As far as Piper noticed, Leo went back to himself. She spotted him working on a beautiful toy giraffe. She saw him use his powers to attach the wings on to the back of the giraffe, so that the wings could actually move._

_When they finished, they came outside to play with the toy, Leo gave a subtle wink to Drew before telling Harley a bad pun - while grinning, of course - and letting him run away to play with the elegant mini winged giraffe._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello! Right, so I've read BoO, and can I just say, IT WASN'T GOOD! I probably expected it to be good because it was the last book and all, but was it just me, or did Uncle Rick rush it a bit? **

**Anyway, would you believe it, I _actually _made up an ending for the two camps, and I was spot on. I had to delete it, because it was creepily similar to the ending of the book. This was before BoO, mind you. Yeah!  
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**Also, for the sake of the story, pretend Leo never met Calypso. This is unwillingly turning into a DrewxLeo story. Turns out I can't help but write romance. I am one weird chick.**

**Enough babbling, Enjoy!**

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><p>Piper didn't know how they even knew each other. The hyper-active fire lord, the ice queen, and the spoilt princess. Nothing alike, right? So, how did they know each other?<p>

It was their good luck that Piper gave up on trying to understand them. Their bad luck was that as soon as Reyna joined them, Piper was on their case. Again.

Piper might have been confused when Leo and Drew became 'allies'. When Reyna joined? She was down-right stupefied.

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><p>The first time Drew glanced at Leo, she knew instantly that he was pretending. It was pathetically sad at how quick she'd figured it out. Contrary to popular belief, Drew was smart. She just chose not to let anyone see it.<p>

Leo might've been good at donning a mask, but it was slipping. Drew had heard that he was cute, hyperactive, and funny. When she saw him now, he didn't seem like it. She uncharacteristically pitied him. So, she decided to help him.

Leo looked up around him. As his gaze came to Drew, she nodded at him, and glared, trying to get the point across that he was too gloomy. To anyone from the outside, it would seem like she was introducing herself, in that pompous, bow down to me way that she seemed to have.

Leo had looked at her with raised eyebrows. _Huh?,_ he seemed to ask. Drew just glared harder. She lifted the corner of her mouth with one finger. Leo finally understood, and gave her a strained smile. Drew just rolled her eyes, and glared at him again. Leo _finally_ put up a decent grin on his face. He told the person next to him - Jason - a joke, before laughing at his own joke. Drew gave a quick and satisfied smile at him. He caught it, and winked at her in that cute dimpled way of his. Drew turned away to tell her 'friends' that she was just flirting with the latino. Them being the dumb blondes they were, they believed her.

Perhaps that was what started their truce. She didn't go near him, and he didn't go near her.

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><p>But soon, they became more than just allies. The temptation of finding someone who they could be themselves with was too much. Maybe that was what made them remind each other in the first place. Either way, they got curious, and that's what made them meet up.<p>

Drew had seen Leo sneak into the forest. He probably hadn't been too worried about the monsters because of his fire powers. Drew always wore a bracelet that turned into a knife, so she was set. When she was sure no one was looking at her, she followed Leo.

After a few minutes of walking, Leo stopped and looked around.

"Thank the gods! Did you make sure no one followed you? It's boring just helping each other, don't you think?"

For a moment, all Drew could think about was that Leo had made sure only Drew had seen him. How the Hades had this kid gotten so good at things like this?

Leo sighed and tapped his foot. "I'm waaaiiiting!"

"Oh, fine. You got me." Leo grinned.

Drew thought about how cute he looked when he actually _meant _a grin. Then she immediately scolded herself. She was Drew. She was NOT going to go gaga over a boy. THEY went gaga over her.

"So, I take it you want to be friends?" Leo nodded and gave her _The Puppy Face. _Uh oh. It was rumoured to be the ultimate weapon against people.

"And, we're also going to have someone to trust and depend on. You okay with that?"

He looked at her with that face again. Except this time, he looked vulnerable as well. Drew took the moment to appreciate just how much he was sacrificing. All the time spent on perfecting his mask, so that no one would see what was underneath, And now, he was going to discard his mask in front of someone.

She waited a few more seconds just to see the latino squirm (adorably), before answering, "Of course."

"YES!" Drew raised an eyebrow. He was that excited? Huh. He must have struggled more than he let on. They kept on walking, with the latino filling up the silence when it got too awkward.

They finally found a relatively comfortable tree root they could sit on, without a dryad randomly coming out to yell at them. Drew mustered up her courage to ask Leo a question.

"So, Jason was like 'Dude, what the hades are you doing with that wii,' and Piper was like 'Yeah, Leo, why?', and I was li-"

"Why did you want to have this... deal? From what I've heard so far, you're kind of how you usually are."

Leo paused, before cocking his head. "Lady, you just interrupted one of my funniest stories yet! Fine... It's hard."

When Leo saw Drew's eyebrow raise, he continued, "Being happy all the time. You try smiling when all you want to do is break down and curse the world. Your face hurts like Hades."

Drew thought about it.

"Hmmm. Isn't it harder to pretend you're mean when you feel happy and nice?"

"You really wanna talk about who has the harder mask?" Drew felt taken aback. Wow. He knew the exact way to describe it. A mask was the exact word for it.

"Isn't that what you said before?" Leo rolled his eyes.

"Oh, _fine_. I suppose pretending to be mean when your happy is tough, but when you curse everyone for being so selfish and have to be happy? Try to be upbeat and joke around _then_," Leo ground out venomously. Drew was surprised to see him scowling.

"I suppose you have a point."

"A point? Lady, what I say is completely from first-hand experience."

Drew raised an eyebrow.

"What?! It's true! Don't you think about the fact that if we dropped this mask, everyone would get suspicious and hate you? All my life as a foster kid, I had to pretend I was this happy-go-lucky kid and joke around _just _so that bullies wouldn't steal the little money I had. _None _of my family wanted me. _None._ I had to deal with the guilt of burning my own mother with my stupid fire powers. I had to run away from foster homes and the cops my_ entire _life. I remember a night so bad, when I was eight, I was on the streets curled up in snow, feeling so cold and hungry, I was _actually _okay with the thought of dying. Try and beat that"

Drew took a deep breath. As long as they were both ranting and sharing personal problems, they would be alright. "My dad... is unspeakably handsome and rich. So, it's no surprise Aphrodite was attracted to him. Except, after Aphrodite left, he... he went a bit... mad. He didn't like anyone, snapped at everything. So, it was a relief to go to a boarding school, where I had a chance of making friends. Except that I didn't make any friends. I was pimply, fat, and had no social life whatsoever. I got bullied. A lot. Then I decided to actually put my father's money to use. I bought make-up, new clothes that would motivate me to stop eating, so I could get thin. I even bought magazines, so I would know every 'cool' thing happening. I realized that no one trusted popular people if they were nice. So, I insulted people. And I was actually _good_ at it. And it felt powerful. Being able to fool everyone was like a gift. It was like being in a reality show, except there were no camera. It was perfect. And then I realized that no one would know the real me. I started regretting it. But, by then it was too late. Then, I was shipped off to Camp-Halfblood, and now I stay here all year. It gets a bit lonely, y'know? To have to behave the same way the _whole_ time?"

Leo thought about it. "I suppose," he mused. Leo grinned. "You're close. But I definitely win." Drew smirked back. "Oh haha, very funny." They grinned at each other for a moment before settling back into a comfortable silence.


	3. Chapter 3

Piper noticed. Oh, she noticed. She was ashamed of herself for giving up so early. They might have gotten past her with only two people in their little 'group', but she was NOT going to let this go again.

Watch out people, there's a new Nancy Drew in town. And she's better than before.

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><p>When Drew first saw Reyna, she felt immensely sorry for her.<p>

She might have been a good actor, but not even a beauty potion could hide Reyna's puffy eyes and the wobbly lips. Drew felt sorry for her. She should probably help her.

She had a bizarre thought._ Leo's turned me into a _nice_ person_, she mused. She almost laughed out loud at that. Drew took slow, purposeful steps towards Reyna. She sat down next to her.

"Smile," she commanded Reyna.

"Huh?" Drew rolled her eyes and stood up.

She caught Leo's eye across the camp, and jerked her thumb to the forest, hoping he'd get the message.

"Get up."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

"Fine." Reyna sighed and stood up.

"Now what?" Drew glanced around subtly, to see if Leo had moved nearer to the forest. He did.

"Right. You're coming with me." Reyna raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Believe it or not, I actually want to help you." Reyna scrutinized her. Drew put on her best angelic saint expression.

"Fine." Reyna was obviously reluctant, but she followed Drew into the forest.

After a few minutes Drew got sick of the awkward silence.

"So... Why do you look like crap?" Reyna looked taken aback.

"What made you think that?"

"Oh puh-lease. Not even our cabin's best make up can fix up your face." Reyna scrutinized her again, but this time a bit more appraisingly. Apparently, she appreciated dry honesty. Huh. Drew _had_ to stop hanging out with weirdos.

"Daughter of Aphrodite, I presume?"

"Mmhmm. Love screwed you up, huh?"

"How the Hades do you know so much about me?"

"Easy. I'm like you."

"Oh? How?"

"There are people like us. They wear... for lack of a better word, masks, but there are times when it slips. Then we need... reminders."

They walked to where Leo was waiting, with Reyna musing over what Drew had said. Drew had a bizarre thought. _It's like we're starting a cult._

Drew snickered at herself. Leo looked at her quizzically.

"Sorry. It felt like we're starting a cult or something." To her surprise, he nodded thoughtfully.

"I like that idea, except it should be a club. What about... LEO'S CLUB!"

He said it with such a comical grin, Drew laughed whole-heartedly, with Reyna joining her nervously. Soon, they were in stitches.

After they calmed down enough to wipe away their tears, Reyna toned down her grin, and suggested, "What about... 'The Reminders Club'?"

She saw a flash of approval from both Drew and Leo, before Leo dramatically cried out with a pout, "So... no Leo's club?!" Drew and Reyna cackled hysterically again. "No... haha... Leo... No... Leo's club." They said this in unison, while gasping for air. Leo pouted even harder. Soon, he joined them, and they didn't stop giggling for a long, long, time.

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><p>While Piper was still puzzling things out, the little club had already made plans to meet up weekly, and to help each other whenever they could. If it wasn't for this little slice of heaven, Reyna didn't think she could have gone on with her life.<p>

If Leo and Drew weren't there to make her giggle and snort when she felt like bawling her eyes out, she shuddered to think what she could have done. So many horrible things... And to be honest, she could already feel her heart slowly mending from being broken over and over again. Her heart didn't beat faster around boys anymore, and she was eternally grateful. She might not like Venus, but at least she had enough common sense (who knew she had any?) to leave Reyna alone.

For the time being.

She might have liked Leo a lot, but not in the romantic sense. He was more like a little brother, who was funny, and caring. Just like Nico.

Then there was Drew. Oh, Drew, the sweetheart. She was so much nicer than what people thought of her. She had been told many times to avoid Drew, and to keep any future boyfriends away from her. The irony was, and to her surprise as well, Drew was still a virgin. This just reinforced her opinion that rumors were complete and utter lies. Drew must have been very good to keep a mask on for all this time. The poor thing.

All in all, Reyna had made friends. Good friends, who were like the family she never had. And she was never ever going to let them go. No matter what.

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><p>Drew's pity for Reyna had turned into mild curiosity and jealousy. Whenever she saw Reyna and Leo laughing together, she had to stubbornly (and unsuccessfully) tell herself that she didn't care.<p>

Nope. She didn't give two schists for it. At least that what she thought she was feeling.

She noticed Reyna was a lot more healthier and happier than before. And she was glad. When Drew first saw her, she was on the verge of hopelessness. Drew was glad she moved on.

She might have never had a family before, and she might never, but this was pretty damn close to it. And she was never going to go back to being alone. Ever.

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><p>Leo was delighted that they had a new member. After all, this meant he had a new person to tell all his old jokes. He never failed to get a smile or a laugh out of Drew, but he was slowly running out, so he had a way to find if he still had his ladies charm.<p>

He could see Drew warming up to Reyna. Actually, they had become best friends on sight.

Reyna was like the over-protective and responsible big sister. She was almost like Nyssa.

He had always run away from happy families. He had never blonged. But maybe this time... maybe this time he belonged.

**A/N: The club thing too much? **

**Sorry for posting so late. Stupid school and it's stupid schedules.**

**If you'd like a song ****recommendation, check out ****Adored by him by Doddleoddle, on youtube. (For Reyna and Nico and even Rachel)**

**Right, this is the part I've been procastinating on: Review replies! Yay!**

**Guest (the one that's more recent): I'm really really sorry, but this is (weirdly) turning out to be a DrewxLeo story. I'm sorry, I never meant for it to happen. Thanks for the idea of Rachel, but I'm not sure how I could incorporate her into the story. I'm not looking to have any people joining, so sorry to crush hopes and dreams. I used to ship Nico and Rachel a lot too, but it all changed after BoO. Solangelo all the way, baby!**

**Celeste 14: I'm not going to add Nico, but he _is_ going to be on this story. Whoo!**

**ThisSentenceIsALie: Thanks for that, I knew someone was going to point that out. Um, I imagine that Leo would have learnt the inside jokes from the Seven (remember, this is after the Giant war), and I can imagine Leo exaggerating the stories, and the girls laughing at Leo, and loving the words. I can just imagine them using it, y'know?**

**Reviewer: Yes, I understand that the probability and chance of Drew actually being nice is slim, but I always look at the bright side of people, and maybe you'd feel better if you did that too. Have you ever worn a mask? I have, and it's frickin' hard. And it's also really hard to change your personality in a matter of days. How can you be mean for most of your life, and then suddenly be naïve and innocent and nice the next? Yeah, I don't think so. After being the way Drew is, I don't really think that she could be relatively decent with someone she doesn't have anything in common with, or is uncomfortable with. **

**If I haven't mentioned you, then I'm absoloutely and completely blown away with your support and enthusiasm. Thanks for all you support!**

**Thank you, and no, this is _not_ the end. **


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay, I give you permission to kill me, but listen to my excuse first, would you? Okay, I've been sick, and even passed out from exhaustion a few times. It didn't help that we got a Styx load of homework and assignments and tests and - Besides, I posted a oneshot, so go read that. It should've satiated your hunger. Am I forgiven? No? Okay. Well, I'm sorry.**

**Yes, this chapter is was shorter than usual, but I'll post another POV on the club in a few days. Hopefully. Look forward to it!**

**And thanks to all the reviews! I'm delighted that everyone likes this story ^_^**

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><p>Nico was damned to the pits of tartarus if they thought he didn't notice.<p>

He was used to reading body language and subtle actions. He _was_ a child of Hades. After being on the streets for so long, he could read people like an open book, which wasn't really that surprising.

In fact, by this stage, if he didn't know how to read people, Nico (and Hades) would be disgusted with him.

It was no secret that all demigods of Hades either went mad, or killed themselves. For the sake of his 'friends' and his 'father', he hoped he would go mad. Of course, he had to be dark and brooding and shut himself out from everyone. Sometimes, Nico would just roll his eyes at the absurdity at everything.

He dreamed often of joining them. He did wear a kind of mask after all. He pretended to be a fearsome, tough warrior, when he was just a confused, hurt kid who missed his simpler days. Him falling for the wrong gender was just the rotten cherry on top of the revolting cake.

He supposed it was because he grew up too early. He knew about how he acted when he was 10, and he wished he could go back to those ignorant days. Sure, monsters would still be on the hunt for him, but at least there would be less. He would have his sister with him, he wouldn't love someone who he couldn't have, and he wouldn't have to worry about being killed, just for admitting he liked the same gender.

Ahhh, how happy those days were. At least, compared to his life now, anyway.

He had always reassured himself that there _had_ to be some demigods that might have a worse life than him, but he failed to see a single one. After all, his only family (one that he actually knew and remembered at the time, anyway...) had died when he was just a kid. He was introduced to the harsh world, and was forced to grow up at the meager age of 10. It happened with all demigods, he kept on telling himself. After all, they all had to be as calculating and ruthless as him to keep on living. But, at least they had a somewhat decent family, and they had friends that they could be themselves around with. They didn't have to shut themselves out from everyone.

But no, of course, Nico didn't get that luxury. He just _had_ to be an aloof, ruthless son of Hades, with a horrible past. He had been through so much already, he just needed to let out his pain like they seemed to do. But since when was that ever possible?

Maybe that was why he was so suspicious and surprised when Will had considered him a friend. The Ghost King? Friend? Yeah, he didn't think so. But when Will kept on pressing, he had thought _maybe, just maybe_, he had found a person he could confide in.

But then he looked at the big picture. No. One person compared to hundreds of people/demigods/gods? Not very good statistics. He couldn't afford to be blinded by a sliver of a possibility of happiness. No, he had to be on his toes all the time. Sure, nobody trusted him, but wasn't that a small price to pay?

And so, Nico kept on pretending he was a cold-hearted, fearless 13 year old, because that was what people wanted him to be. No one would ever want him to be a trust worthy person. Now he had to live his life as a tough kid, with a mask as smooth as porcelain (we all know it's as fragile as it is smooth), hoping it would never crack.

And, would you believe it, it never once cracked. Not even as a _dracaena_ stabbed him in the back with a knife as he felt himself dying. Not even as the reincarnated Bianca watched as she was dragged away by a satyr.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Yes, yes, has Unicorns and Schist _actually_ manage to get something written on time? What a miracle!**

**I honestly love this chapter, and I've added a bit to the previous chapter, so check it out. I liked it better that way. **

**Okay, REVIEW REPLIES! Yay! ^_^**

**rainbowchameleon: I'm so sorry, but I'm not going to have anyone else join the club. **

**Kendra PJO: Thank you so much for that information! The phrase 'Never judge a book by it's cover' really applies to this story, doesn't it?**

**ThisSentenceIsALie: Yeah, sorry for no mentions, but this chappie should make up for it. And thanks! Hope it's the same with Jason.**

**spiesareawesome: I'm so sorry, but you're gonna have to wait a few chappies for that. Thanks so much!**

**Our Mismatched Socks: Thanks so much!**

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><p>Jason wished he didn't have to be so perfect. Then, maybe he could live a normal (unique) life. And then, he snorted at himself. Not perfect? Yeah, like that was possible. No, he would just have to live with being perfect, and letting nobody see what underneath his mask.<p>

The first time he had vague thoughts like this was when he noticed Leo being a lot happier than usual. He had also become less moody than before, but it was like Leo held a secret. He saw the pain in his eyes while Leo talked to him. It was like he was just bursting to tell Jason something, but thought the better of it every time.

The intense thinking must have hurt his brain.

It worried Jason slightly. Not the thinking part, but the part when Leo had to keep a secret from him. They were _best friends_ for gods' sake. They should have been able to tell each other everything. Was it really so important? Or was it so dangerous that Leo had to pretend everything was alright? Jason continued to worry, but it all faded when he saw Leo, Reyna and Drew glancing at each other.

As long as Leo was with Reyna and Drew, he would be alright. As a person pretending to be someone he wasn't, he had seen the connection right away, and sussed them out instantly.

Drew, the spoilt princess. He saw the hesitation behind Drew's eyes before she insulted somebody. He saw the reluctance she had when flirting. He didn't know her story, but he _did_ know that most girls hated her. He saw the pretense that she had kept for so long, and applauded her. She definitely needed some recognition.

Reyna, the ice queen. He noticed the slumped shoulders and bags under her eyes that she desperately tried to hide. Actually, if it wasn't for his memories of her, he never would have guessed. Her resignation of her post would have made him suspicious, but it was too awkward for him to ask. He knew how hard it was to be a praetor, and he could never imagine how hard the burden was to carry all by herself. He felt slightly guilty for abandoning his post of praetor, but he was better as a consul. It was less work, and he got to see friends more. He couldn't relate how it was to be alone your whole life, but Reyna had sure had more practice than needed. Maybe she would find lifelong friends in Leo and Drew.

Leo, the clown. He had such a sad, pitiful life, that he turned his pain into humor. Perhaps it worked for a while, but Jason could see it was getting him down. Maybe he would find someone he could actually be himself in front of, and be comfortable with. Jason sure hoped so. Leo deserved it.

Either way, Jason could imagine himself joining their little mysterious group. But, he could never bring himself to do it. He had too many people depending on him, and so many responsibilities that would be compromised if he was ever to let his mask crack. One little slip up, and it would all come crashing down on him. And he didn't want that.

And so, Jason kept on being the same independent, perfect and powerful consul that he knew he was destined for. He had a beautiful girlfriend, amazing friends, and two camps that supported him, and in return, he helped them. This was surely enough to compromise for the mask that Jason kept.

And, strangely enough, Jason didn't even need reminders to stop him from getting cracks in his mask. The same mask as fragile as an empty egg shell never cracked, even from years and years of sadness and longing. Not even as he whispered to Nico to take care of his friends after he died. Not even as he felt Nico's tears on his lips. Not even as his last breath was sucked out from a bloody battlefield that he was responsible for. Not even as he watched the angry whirlwind of death and rage and carnage that Nico, Percy, Hazel and Thalia whipped up as his ghost watched.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: What. The. Actual. Hades?! Seriously? I have over 2,000 views. What? Give yourselves a slow clap. Seriously. You guys have awful taste.**

**Kill me later. I know, I haven't updated in - what - a week? More? As I stated in ****_Art_****, I moved. Which sucks, because I can never see my bus friends again :(**

**This chappie is a couple hundred words longer than usual, but, yeah. I always used to wonder what kind of thrill it gave authors to kill people off. Now I know. It's fun killing people off. Yes, it sounds sick, but I ****_am_**** sick.**

**This author's note is too long, but I need to ask for another character to do. I need one more character before I write the epilogue, unless you want more. Please tell me. **

**Skip this part if you haven't reviewed. **

**MacaroniCheese: As I've said before, I always used to wonder what kind of thrill it gave authors to kill people off. It's fun. Sorry not sorry for keeping you under the threat of exploding. **

**ThisSentenceIsALie: You'll be happy, I'm not doing Will. Gimme another idea through e-mail would ya?**

**spiesareawesome: Yeah. Just try this chappie.**

**rainbowchameleon: Sorry about the sad bit, but that's what this story is basically about.**

**Our Mismatched Socks: I have a feeling that you'd really like one of my oneshots, which is pretty similar to yours. I'm ashamed to admit I've read yours before writing mine, so...**

**Enough rabbiting, on to reading.**

* * *

><p>Clarisse couldn't believe they thought she couldn't notice.<p>

What, did they think she was blind? Of course she noticed. She had worked it out almost instantly. Contrary to popular opinions, Clarisse was smart. She wasn't just a violent '_KILL EVERYTHING!' _person. She had brains too, no matter what the Stolls said.

Clarisse hadn't always been this destructive. No, she had actually been a very calm and nice kid. Until she faced a gorgon that had an obsession with crackers. At the time she had assumed that the lady loved crackers because she _was_ crackers. Oh, the comical innocence of the young.

But no, she just _had_ to be attacked by a gorgon when she was just six. _Six_, for gods' sake! She was lucky that Coach found her in time to hand her a celestial gold knife. Otherwise, she would have been easy gorgon chow.

She supposed the violent exterior was to please her father. As much as she hated him for making her scared and hitting her, she still wanted to make him proud. Sometimes she hated herself for doing exactly as he wanted her to be, but she couldn't help it. It was like being happy about getting praise from your least favourite teacher. It shouldn't matter to you, but it does. Clarisse hated it, but there was absolutely nothing she could do about it.

It wasn't just about her father either. It wasn't like everyone wanted her to be nice and loving. No, they _wanted_ her to be a mean, nasty bully. Actually, they probably wished she wasn't, but it was the only way she could show her 'toughness'. Besides, they seemed _really_ grateful when she defeated that drakon. They sure liked her a lot for that.

Maybe that was the reason that she had a soft spot for Chris. Even though he joined the wrong side, he still saw the actual her. One death glare from Clarisse, and the other person would run for the hills. But Chris? He just laughed.

At first, it had annoyed her. Who dared _laugh_ at Clarisse? Especially at the same death glare that made the Stolls gulp nervously and not prank her cabin for at least a month. Then, she got used to it. Being alone and on her own had made her devoid of any happy emotions, and for a while, Chris reminded her why she used to be such a happy kid. He made her laugh, and made her relatively decent. Her siblings had loved him, since no one could ever stop Clarisse when she was in a bad mood.

At the same time that she had Chris, Silena had been her friend too. Yes, she admitted that it was such a strange friendship, but they made great friends. They kept each other's secrets, and could be themselves around each other. At the time, she had thought everything was perfect.

But then, she suddenly had to face a decision. Follow the love of her life to a probable awful death on the wrong side, or stay at Camp with her siblings and Silena. Even though it was tempting, Clarisse had to let Chris go. As she watched Chris walk away from her reluctantly, she could feel her heart breaking. She had spent a solid hour crying, with a vow to herself that she would never let anyone get so close to her again. Of course, as soon as she saw Silena, that vow became nothing to her. Silena had taken one look at her, dragged her off to her empty cabin, and handed Clarisse a hot chocolate. Under Silena's sympathetic and curious eye, she told her everything. They both realised that sometimes true love didn't always have a happy ending. They cried.

Just as she was losing hope, she found Chris again, and nursed him back to health. Even with an impending war, Clarisse was happy again. And then Silena had to lose Beckendorf, and it made them both even sadder. When Silena had pretended to be her, she had been livid. What was she doing, trying to get herself killed? However sick it sounded, she was lucky that she had seen Silena fall. Otherwise, the drakon would never have been slayed. She would never have been so angry as to be fearless of a drakon. At that point, she hadn't even cared if she died. All she had cared about was that she had to avenge Silena, no matter how betrayed she felt. To be honest, she had never cared if Silena was a spy or not. It was obvious, actually, that Clarisse was unworthy of a happy life, and if ruining her happiness was killing a friend that she was unworthy of, then the Fates would do so.

After the betrayal of such a kind and forgiving person like Silena, she realised that she could never depend on anyone. Sometimes, she found it hard to even confide to Chris.

And so, she kept a mask. The same mask that was as thin as paper never tore, even after years of prodding and scratching (mainly from Ares and Chris). It never tore, even as she faced a horde of dracaenas. Not even as she saw the hopelessness on Chris' and her daughter's face. Especially not as she charged in, knowing that she would rather die than let anything hurt her family. Not when she was dying from a simple stab in the back while she was surrounded by monster dust. Not even when she gave her husband and daughter one last goodbye kiss.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Sorry it took so long, but I finished writing it after it stewed on my laptop for five days. It also turned out really angst-y, so sorry for that.**

**I need to address an important topic that ****_awesometacos_**** brought up. Yes, after consideration, I've decided to go back to the plot (I was originally going to skip straight to the epilogue.) I'm sorry if these oneshots seem uncalled for, but that's what this story was originally about. I ****_wanted_**** you to realize how many different types of masks there were, and not to judge by a first impression. This was all planned. If you're sick of these one shots, then you can skip the next (and last) one if you want. I'll post two chapters (and maybe change some of the previous ones, so ignore the alerts if it's for more than two chaps).**

**Thanks to ThisSentenceIsALie and spiesareawsome for this one: Connor! I couldn't bring myself to do Travis.**

**Kay, review replies! (feel free to skip this if you didn't review. I always do.)**

**awesometacos: thank you so much for bringing that up! I kept on forgetting to talk about it, and I'm glad you like this story so much! Thanks!**

**spiesareawesome: Thanks for the ideas! I think I'll be doing Luke for the next one. Sorry, I couldn't help killing off Travis. I've mentioned that I'll be getting back to the plot in the chapter after the next.**

**RowanRoseandCelestleJackson: Well, this answers your question.**

**ThisSentenceIsALie: C, I ****_live _****to torture people. What makes ya think I'm different? ;D Yes, I'm targeting your favorite characters. Thanks for the ideas! But, I didn't get to use them because they don't have enough character development, y'know? Sorry, C!**

Of _course _Connor noticed the club. Being a thief _did _mean that he knew who to steal from and who not to. Sometimes, this skill gave him other advantages as well. Observing and noticing people was his thing.

Then again, Connor might have been a brilliant prankster and trickster, but even he found it hard to keep a mask on forever. When no one noticed him to celebrate Tratie, or mourn over Luke, he just _had_ to be the cocky comedian that everyone knew him as. He knew it was sick to crave over attention that much, but he did.

Sometimes, he just wished that he never had to start wearing a mask. What was that quote about being able to do anything at anytime? Oh yeah, 'It's never too late'. As if. Once you start wearing a mask, you can't stop. If you do, people don't have very ... pleasant reactions. They only like seeing what they're used to. Why would they care about whether the lowly son of Hermes was pretending or not? Why would they care if Connor was just pretending to be comically happy, and was tearing himself up on the inside? The closest he had to a confidant was his brother, and usually even _he _didn't care. Yeah, brothers for life (this one, anyway). Sure.

He supposed that it _might_ have been a good thing to have a mask. Once you start, you make a wall to stop people from seeing the real you. Soon, that wall becomes a type of protection and comfort. If someone hates you, you know that it's not _you_ they hate, it's your mask. It's like having a teddy bear. It's your very own protection against the cruel harsh world. Then, the wall becomes a part of you, and soon, you don't know when the wall ends and you begin. You _become_ the wall. That could have been a plus, but there were some times when he _wanted_ someone to see the real him. He _wanted_ to have someone worry over him when his mask cracked.

Sometimes, it _killed_ him to have to act so cocky when, inside, all he wanted to do was to break down without caring. He remembered, once, all he wanted was to die, as he slumped against a tree trunk. He didn't give a damn if a nymph threw acorns at him, or if a monster burst through the trees, intent on killing him.

At that point, he just _didn't_ care. He supposed it was humane to crave love and companions. But that was the thing. Connor didn't _want_ to be humane. What was the point of feeling happy when you'd just get sad all over again? What was the _point_ with caring and being happy? It tortured him, when everyone around him grew up. They all went their separate ways, and they just forgot about him.

He'd had to make a decision then. Either keep on wearing a mask and not letting anyone see the real him, or throwing away his mask, his prized possession. For him, the decision was easy. He had always been a stubborn kid.

He made sure never to let anyone see him without his mask, and almost succeeded. He remembered that Lou Ellen had seen him get sad once, and he had to persuade her _so_ hard to get her to back off. At that moment, he had reveled in the fact that there was finally someone who cared. Then he reminded himself that he had to keep a mask, not just for his sake, but for others too.

So, Connor kept his most valued facade, and, for some reason, he didn't need reminders. Even though the mask was as fragile as glass, it never shattered. Not when he saw everyone live happy (but painfully short) lives. Not even when he was dying from an imperial gold wound. Not even as he heard a loud cry before monster dust rained on his face, and he felt Travis' and Katie's tears on his face. Especially not when he uttered one last joke before he heard Thanatos calling him.


End file.
